The present invention relates to a chilled beverage display container of the type frequently used to hold cans or bottles of beverages and to keep them cold for display and for sale for immediate consumption.
Beverages in cans or bottles are often held and kept chilled for display and sale in free-standing barrel-like display containers. The most common use for such containers is in convenience stores, where they are usually placed close to the check-out counters to stimulate impulse purchases by departing customers. Most such display containers are chilled by ice or frozen xe2x80x9cblue-icexe2x80x9d packs, though some are available with refrigeration units.
It is quite important that beverage display containers of the type in question be well-insulated in order to hold ice for long periods of time, thus making the container economical to operate in terms of both the amount of ice needed and the costs of labor for adding ice and draining waterxe2x80x94containers chilled with ice have drain hoses that are normally closed by a valve, which the clerk uses to drain water from the container periodically. Also, it is essential that condensation not occur on the outer surfaces of the container, lest condensate drip onto the floor, where it can lead to soiling of the floor by wetting the soiled shoes of customers who then track dirt and moisture wherever they walk. Accordingly, all presently available chilled beverage display containers have an outer casing, an inner tub supported in the casing with spacing between the casing and the tub, and an insulating material, such as foam or fiber, in the space between the casing and the tub.
Beverage display containers of the above-described type usually have a transparent, hinged lid, which allows a potential purchaser to observe the contents, at least when the container is nearly full of cans or bottles, without lifting the lid. As the container nears empty, an observer cannot readily view the contents. From a marketing point of view, the display container becomes less effective in enticing an observer to make an impulse purchase when he and she cannot easily see the product. Also, the store clerks cannot determine when the container needs to be replenished, when ice needs to be added, or when water needs to be drained.
An object of the present invention is to improve the marketing effectiveness of chilled beverage display containers by making the product contained in the container significantly more visible. Another object is to enhance the serviceabilityxe2x80x94frequent refilling with beverages and ice and drainage of excess waterxe2x80x94of chilled beverage display containers by clerks. It is also desired to retain the efficiency and efficacy of presently known chilled beverage display containers in terms of minimal use of ice (or other refrigeration) and avoidance of condensation on the outside walls.
The foregoing objects are attained, in accordance with the present invention, by a chilled beverage display container having an outer casing that includes a base, a top rim member, a cover hinged to the top rim member so that the cover can be pivoted between a closed position and an open position, and a circular cylindrical peripheral wall member of a transparent material, the peripheral wall member being sealed to the base and to the top rim member so as to prevent substantially any flow of a gas into or out of the outer casing. A tub of a transparent material having an upper rim portion, a peripheral wall, and a bottom wall, is supported within the outer casing solely by attachment of the upper rim portion of the tub to the top rim member of the casing. In that regard, the upper rim portion of the tub may be integral with the top rim member of the casing, as is known per se. The peripheral wall of the tub is spaced apart from the peripheral wall of the outer casing and the bottom wall of the tub is spaced apart from the base of the outer casing so as to form a dead air space between the tub and the outer casing. The upper rim portion of the tub is sealed to the top rim member of the casing so as to prevent substantially any flow of a gas into or out of the dead air space at an interface between the upper rim portion of the tub and the top rim member of the casing.
The transparent walls of the casing and tub of a beverage container according to the present invention considerably increases the visibility of the cans and bottles as compared with previously known containers with opaque walls, thus increasing the market appeal of the products for sale based on impulse buying. Large quantities of cans and bottles in the container can be viewed from a distance and from any aspect. The products can be readily observed even when the supply is somewhat depleted. Although beverage containers of the type of the present invention are often supplied to retail outlets by beverage makers for use exclusively with their products, many makers have a range of products, such as regular, diet, and the like. An observer can readily see the specific item he or she desires, which is not always the case when the product can only be seen through a transparent lid. The increased visibility to a potential purchaser is of considerable advantage, from a sales appeal point of view, when the container is used to display many brands of beverages, inasmuch as a potential purchaser can easily see the various brands and choose one of ones he or she favors.
The transparent walls also greatly improve the serviceability of the container. The outlets where containers of the type involved here are most often used usually rely on one or two check-out clerks for not only handling sales but for servicing the container and other point-of-sale displays. The increased visibility of the products in the container permits the clerks to see more readily, even from behind the check-out counter, when the supply of beverages is getting low, when ice needs to be added, and when water from melted ice needs to be drained. Better service of the container leads to greater customer appeal and thus increased sales.
A beverage container embodying the present invention retains the features of efficiency and efficacy of previously known beverage containers. Insulation is provided by the dead air contained in the space between the side and bottom walls of the casing and the tub. Also, the tub is supported solely at the top rim, so that a thermal conductive path through solid/material exists only at the rim, which is above the level of ice and beverage containers. Thus, the path for heat flow from the part of the tub that contains ice and beverage containers to the casing is relatively long, especially as the supply of ice and products in the container is depleted. The effectiveness of the dead air as an insulator ensures that condensate does not form on the outer surfaces of the casing. The lack of condensate not only prevents water from dripping on the floor but ensures that the transparency of the container is preserved. Under most ambient conditions, condensate does not form to any significant degree on the outer walls of the tub. In that regard, it is preferred that the tub be of a polymeric material (plastic). One characteristic of polymeric materials is that they have a relatively low coefficient of thermal conductivity. Accordingly, a relatively large temperature gradient exists between the inner and outer surfaces of the tub, thus tending to keep the outer surface of the tub warm enough (relative to the dew point of the air in the dead space) to prevent condensate from forming.
Advantageously, the tub may be a unitary moldment of a rigid transparent polymeric material. A unitary tub ensures against leakage and is easy to clean. The polymeric material has a low thermal conductivity, as mentioned above. The peripheral wall member of the casing may likewise be of a rigid transparent polymeric material and may be fabricated by bending a flat sheet into a tube having abutting edges forming a butt joint. The abutting edges are joined by splice plates or some other suitable mechanical splicing element. It is also possible to form an overlap joint at the meeting edges of the sheet and join the overlap by an adhesive or mechanical fasteners.
The base of the casing, in a preferred construction of the container, includes a bottom rim member, a casing bottom wall member joined to the bottom rim member, and a casing liner wall member joined to the bottom rim member and spaced apart from the casing bottom wall member. Either the casing bottom wall member or casing liner wall member of both are sealed to the bottom rim member so as to form a dead air space in the casing. The liner is optional but improves the appearance by concealing structures associated with the rim that form receptacles for the mounting posts of casters, which are conventionally provided for mobility of the container.
The top rim member (whether separate from or unitary with the top rim member of the casing) and bottom rim member of the casing, preferably, have flange portions forming grooves that receive upper and lower edge portions of the peripheral wall member. That feature of construction ensures that the peripheral wall holds its shape circumferentially and enhances the structural integrity of the casing.